Total MX-5 – July 2019

DAVID MANNERS GROUP

WITH AN easy-going candour,
Kate Manners, managing
director of the David Manners
Group (DMG), confesses that
the West Midlands-based parts
specialist is unlikely to be seen
as a threat by the major two
players on the UK’s MX-5 parts
scene. ‘For starters, we simply
don’t have the space on-site to
store any more MX-5 parts,’ she
says. ‘We don’t have the
resources of the others, and our
pockets aren’t as deep.
‘But we’re very pleased with
the MX-5 business that we do
have, and while it’s not growing
enormously it is holding steady,
and in today’s world that’s an
achievement in itself. We’re

perhaps not as visible as the

others because we do a lot of

wholesale trade, so while an

MX-5 enthusiast might not have

heard of us, chances are that

their car was serviced or

repaired using parts from the

David Manners Group.

‘And you also have to bear in

mind that the MX-5 side of

what we do is the smallest

element of our business. Over

the past 42 years DMG has

developed a global reputation

for the breadth and quality of

the parts it can supply for

classic Jaguars, Daimlers, Minis,

Morris Minors, Triumphs and

MGs, and looking after that

little lot keeps us exceptionally

busy indeed.’

As Kate references there, the

David Manners Group has a fair

bit of experience in the supply

of parts to the classic car world,

even if its reputation amongst

MX-5 fans is still developing.

The ‘David’ in the company’s

title is Kate’s father, now

chairman and still making

frequent visits to the premises

in Oldbury, next to the M5

flyover, despite being well into

his 70s. ‘He just can’t stay away,’

comments Kate.

David’s entry into the car

parts arena was born out of the

frustration of not being able to

buy a new exhaust system for

his Daimler SP250 back in 1977.

Having decided to have one

made, he then took a punt on

having a batch of 100

manufactured to sell to others

in his situation. The gamble was

so successful that he set up his

own company specialising in an

ever-expanding collection of

classic Daimler parts.

Then in 1981 an old school

66 | TOTAL MX-5 |^ Summer 2019

[ SPECIALISTS ]

Better known for its Jaguar, Daimler, MG, Morris Minor, Triumph and Mini parts, the David Manners Group also

does a pretty good trade in parts for the world’s best-selling open-top sports car Brett Fraser

Based in Oldbury near Wolverhampton, DMG has operated out of the same building since 1998. Out the back is extensive warehousing

Kate Manners, managing director